Why 2019 will be a game-changing year for blockbuster movies

The playing field for blockbuster movies in 2019 is probably not one that many of us would have predicted 10 years ago. Superheroes, Star Wars and all things Disney dominate, and for the most part there's no sign that the reign of nostalgia and nerdery is anywhere close to an end.

Still, 2019 promises to bring some major changes to the Hollywood landscape that will set the scene for years to come. There are some key areas that we'll be keeping our beady eyes on, as they're going to have some seismic effects on the movies that come after.

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1. The new Star Wars trilogy ends

Lucasfilm

Disney acquired Lucasfilm back in 2012, and three years later Star Wars: The Force Awakens exploded out of the gate. With a slick mix of the new (Rey, Finn, Poe and co) and the comfortingly familiar (ie a plot closely following the original A New Hope), it went on to become the third-highest-grossing movie of all time.

Things have become more complicated since then. The first spin-off, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and Force Awakens' follow-up The Last Jedi were also critical and financial hits, but there's no denying that the last one was divisive. Then came 2018's Solo: A Star Wars Story, which in terms of the new movies was a disappointment in terms of reviews and box office takings, and even led to Disney CEO Bob Iger saying that they released "too much, too fast".

There is still plenty in the works, including Jon Favreau's TV series The Mandalorian and a series about Diego Luna's Rogue One character Cassian Andor – both planned for the new Disney+ streaming service – as well as more films from The Last Jedi's Rian Johnson and Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss.

But it's the new trilogy-concluding Episode IX – which marks the return of The Force Awakens' JJ Abrams – which will set the stage for the future of the Jedi, the Resistance and all the little Wookiees.

Not only has it been promised to mark an end to the central Skywalker saga and thus define the future of the story, but it will be a test of how the franchise and its fandom stands after a turbulent 2018.

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2. Marvel Phase 4 begins

Marvel StudiosGetty/DigitalSpy.com/VA

Another string on the Disney bow that the parent company will doubtlessly be far less worried about is theMarvel Cinematic Universe, which will be entering a new phase of its own, too (Marvel Phase 4, to be precise).

2018's Avengers: Infinity War ended on the mother of all cliffhangers, throwing the MCU into disarray by erasing half the population of the universe. It's down to Avengers: Endgame to reveal how the surviving heroes will undo the damage Thanos caused with the Infinity Gauntlet when it is released at the end of April.

But beyond that storyline, the 22nd MCU film will conclude both Marvel's Phase 3 and tie up threads that began as far back as 2008's Iron Man.

Endgame is expected to see the departure of some long-time stars (Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans being favourite), as well as giving us some idea of the direction that Phase 4 will take. Phase 4 itself will kick off shortly afterwards with Spider-Man: Far from Home in July.

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Beyond the movies, what we expect from Marvel Studios is a big announcement about its upcoming slate. The last such event was way back in 2014, when films including Infinity War, Black Pantherand Captain Marvel were announced all in one go.

In recent years, Marvel has been holding back on information about Phase 4, and while we know some of their plans – including Doctor Strange 2 and Black Widow – 2019 is the time to reveal what is coming in 2020 and beyond.

Whether Marvel decides to play it safe or reveal bold new plans for Phase 4 and beyond, 2019 will be shaping the future of blockbusters for the next handful of years at least.

3. DC enters new realities

Warner Bros.Digitalspy/ST

Warner Bros' Worlds of DC has struggled to match the success of the MCU, although recent entries like Wonder Woman and Aquaman have started to reverse the franchise's misfortunes.

The most recent film, Aquaman – which barely alluded to any of the previous movies or other superheroes – also indicated that the studio is refocusing on telling standalone stories rather than trying to imitate Marvel by tying everything under the Justice League banner.

In 2019, they'll be going one step further by leaving the tentative shared universe of Batfleck and co behind altogether.

The Joaquin Phoenix-starring Joker will be set in a completely separate reality that has nothing to do with the world-building that began back in 2013's Man of Steel, and will tell the origin of a different Joker from the one played by Jared Leto in Suicide Squad.

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First up though is Shazam! and it's still unclear whether that is set in the same world as the Justice League or not.

So, it could be the case that 2019's two DC movies will exist as complete standalones, marking if not a complete break with the recent movies, then the likelihood that we will many superhero films coming out of Warner Bros that don't tie together and make no attempt to replicate the MCU.

And that might prove the best decision that studio could make.

4. Disney's nostalgia machine goes into overdrive

As the home of classic animated and live-action movies, Disney is at least 90% nostalgia, and you only have to look at one of the various Disneylands and Worlds to see that the ubiquitous House of Mouse is not afraid of leveraging your childhood memories.

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In 2019, Disney will be going into overdrive with some incredibly high-profile live-action remakes and sequels of some of its most beloved properties.

In the remake camp we have The Lion King and Aladdin, two of the most prominent films in the 'Disney renaissance' of the early '90s, alongside the (let's face it) terrifying 1941 classic Dumbo. And they've tapped a host of high-profile stars including Beyoncé, Donald Glover, Will Smith and Michael Keaton for the casts.

Meanwhile, Toy Story 4 is also coming in June, eight years after the third entry, which is widely considered the perfect way to wrap up a trilogy and end a beloved story while making everyone watching sob uncontrollably.

Toy Story 4 is going to have to be flawless to live up to its legacy and overcome any fan worries that it's not necessary.

Disney has had a lot of success in recent years with remakes like The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast, but with so many coming out in 2019, the likelihood of a misstep is magnified, though will be a smashing success if the studio pulls it off.

It could be the year that Disney bites off more than it can chew, or that cements the remake project for years to come.

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